'Fenders by Gender' studies picks

CarGurus found that women prefer stylish practicality while men focus on performance.

By G. Chambers Williams III/Express-News

Updated 1:52 am, Sunday, February 20, 2011

“Men are from Porsche, women are from Nissan,” says a new report from the CarGurus.com, an automotive consumer website.

In a recent study of gender preferences among car shoppers, CarGurus found that Porsche was the top brand favored by men, while Nissan was the favorite of women, based on sales inquiries to dealers using the website's DealFinder service during all of 2010.

At the head of the list of online searches for cars by men was the Porsche 911 sports car, while women looked up the Nissan Rogue compact crossover more than any other vehicle.

That's a victory for Nissan, which aimed the Rogue specifically at the female consumer. The car was introduced for 2008 and has become one of Nissan's best-selling models — so much so that the automaker is moving production of the car to the United States from Japan next year.

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Oddly, in the Top 10 “Cars Women Love” identified by the study, there were no Toyota vehicles.

But among the 10 vehicles most loved by men, the San Antonio-built Toyota Tundra pickup was ninth on the list, just behind the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, but ahead of the Ford F-150, in 10th place.

The report, titled “Fenders by Gender,” also ranked cars that were equally popular with men and women. At the top of that list of 10 vehicles was the Chrysler 300, a large sedan based on the same architecture as the Dodge Charger.

No surprise here: Women favor practical cars, with low- and midpriced crossover utility vehicles preferred most, while men went for power and performance.

“Common ground seems to exist” between men and women, however, when it comes to economy cars, the report said, with vehicles on the Top 10 list of ones equally favored including the Mitsubishi Eclipse (second place), Chevrolet Aveo (third), Volkswagen Jetta (seventh), Hyundai Santa Fe (ninth) and Hyundai Sonata (10th).

All of those except the Santa Fe begin under $20,000 — and one, the Aveo subcompact, starts under $12,000. Although the Santa Fe is pricier than the others, it is one of the least expensive compact crossovers, with a base price under $22,000.

In addition to the Chrysler 300, men and women did agree on another not-so-economy car. The $48,000-plus Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster (with a retractable hardtop) came in eighth among the vehicles the two genders agreed upon.

“When it comes to cars, guys are definitely predictable, with the perennial favorite Porsche 911 topping the list,” said Langley Steinert, founder and CEO of CarGurus. “Women seem to be more interested in cars that combine practicality with style, whether that's a crossover that offers space and durability or a sporty, reputable compact that is fun to drive.

“Where we see the most common ground is with economy and midrange priced cars, perhaps a sign that price and value is one area where both genders agree,” he said.

On the list of women's favorites were a couple of surprises: the Lincoln MKX, a midsize luxury crossover with a $40,000 starting price; and the Nissan Armada, a full-size, truck-based SUV that begins at $38,000.

There was only one Honda vehicle on the lists, but no vehicles from Lexus, the luxury brand of Toyota.

The absence of some of the most popular Honda models was surprising, as that automaker has several cars that have long been thought of as favorites with women, as well as with car buyers in general. They include the Accord midsize sedan, Civic compact sedan and CR-V compact crossover.

It was also a bit of a shock that the Toyota Camry wasn't on any of the lists. It has been the best-selling car in America for the past decade or more.

But the Camry and the Accord, the nation's second-best-selling car, are not vehicles that are generally embraced by car enthusiasts, who might be more likely to spend time researching vehicles online.